CHAPTER 201: CHAPTER 201: HOW DO WE SEEK JUSTICE FOR HER AND MAKE AMENDS?

An unprecedented wave of shame washed over him.

For the first time, a crack appeared in Su Junxian’s pride.

All five of them had always prided themselves on their Su Family heritage, placing them high atop the societal hierarchy.

Wherever they went, they received preferential treatment. Their family possessed enough wealth for them to squander, provided excellent living conditions, and offered a circle of loving relatives that ensured their peace of mind.

All they had to do was charge ahead, relentlessly pursuing their dreams and ideals.

Su Junhui furiously smashed everything within reach.

In the dead of winter, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

He stood trembling amidst the wreckage.

"Big Brother, I refuse to accept this!"

Su Junxian opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Su Junhui cried out, "What are our sanctimonious facades worth? We’re standing on our own sister’s shoulders—this realization sickens me! How can we possibly seek justice for her? How can we ever compensate her?"

His eyes bloodshot, Su Junhui continued, "We don’t even have the courage to face her and acknowledge who she is."

He had witnessed countless legal cases, seen innumerable facets of human nature. He had arrogantly believed he could observe such intense emotions with detachment, as he himself had never experienced them so fiercely.

And indeed, he never had.

He was like a spectator, watching others struggle and suffer. He would offer timely guidance, urging them to view their gains and losses with cold rationality.

When weighed against gains and losses, all those trivial, fervent emotions could be suppressed.

Only when he encountered such a situation himself did he realize he was incapable of being rational, incapable of restraint.

Once Su Junhui calmed down, Su Junxian said, "We need to discuss carefully how to resolve this. Fu Bing is capable enough to protect herself now, and the people around her genuinely love her. For now, we can avoid direct contact. Our priority is to clear any obstacles blocking her path home."

"Her return would only be meaningful if the path is clear. If we cannot offer her a happy home and genuine familial love, it would be better to watch over her from a distance."

After Su Junxian finished speaking, he fixed his gaze on Su Junhui.

Su Junhui’s mind rapidly calmed as well.

"I need to think this through," Su Junhui said, his composure returning. "Grandma and Dad must know something. Who should we approach first for a breakthrough?"

Su Junxian pondered for a moment. "You’re close with Second Uncle. Try to get some information from him. He’s likely the one intercepting the information."

"Why would you think that?" Su Junhui asked.

"Second Uncle suddenly bringing Su Keqin and Su Keyue home was suspicious enough," Su Junxian explained. "More so, he’s barely managed any affairs or left the house in the past month. This abnormality definitely isn’t due to Li Hua’s death. He must have discovered some secret."

"What can we offer in exchange for his information and secrets?" Su Kehui asked.

Without a considerable incentive, their Second Uncle might not be willing to talk.

"He can pick anything he wants from my private assets," Su Junxian answered without hesitation.

Su Junhui said, "My private assets are also considerable. He can choose whatever interests him from mine as well. I’ll go now."

"Be careful. Don’t reveal too much," Su Junxian warned.

"Don’t worry." Su Junhui washed his face and left.

「It was now nearing the Spring Festival.」

Sully Manor had already been adorned with festive lanterns and couplets.

These lanterns and couplets were reusable.

Each year, they were hung before the New Year and taken down after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Many people had often fantasized about how blissful it would be to live in Sully Manor.

He too had once taken pride in living in Sully Manor.

The prestige of the Su Family and Sully Manor felt more significant than his own personal glory.

Every member of the Su Family contributed to Sully Manor’s glory, yet none could overshadow its intrinsic brilliance.

Su Junhui hurried across the snow-covered ground. He glanced back and saw servants sweeping the snow to the base of the trees.

He suddenly felt a chill.

Were he and everyone else in Sully Manor not just like this snow, swept aside to nourish Sully Manor, making it ever stronger?

Those who weren’t considered necessary "nutrients" for Sully Manor were discarded early, or perhaps such "unneeded" individuals were used to trade for more valuable assets.

This realization made Su Junhui’s scalp tingle.

He quickened his pace towards the adjacent courtyard, separated only by a wall.

Su He was not at all surprised by Su Junhui’s arrival. He was leisurely preparing tea, enjoying a light brew while watching his three children play.

"Second Uncle, you seem quite at ease," Su Junhui remarked.

"I’m getting old. I have no choice but to take things easy, unlike you busy young men," Su He replied, handing a cup of tea to Su Junhui.

After thanking him, Su Junhui took a sip of tea. "Second Uncle," he began, "these past few days, I’ve discovered some things that contradict my previous understanding. It’s been troubling me, and I wanted to talk to you about it."

Su He was no fool; he knew Su Junhui wasn’t someone to be easily brushed off.

"We can talk," Su He said, "but let’s not bare our souls. Neither of us can afford that kind of emotional toll."

Su Junhui poured himself another cup of tea and downed it in one gulp, as if it were strong liquor.

Su Junhui wiped his mouth. "You all might have known about these things for a long time," he said. "I haven’t been home often and wasn’t familiar with family affairs. Suddenly learning about them has been quite a shock."

"What matter could possibly affect a seasoned lawyer like you, someone who’s witnessed so much of the world’s drama?" Su He asked, timing his question perfectly.

"It’s about my sister," Su Junhui stated.

"Kexin?" Su He queried. "Didn’t your mother send her back to the Orphanage? Are you unhappy with that decision?"

"It’s not about Kexin. It’s about my biological sister," Su Junhui clarified. "Just a few days ago, I learned that although our family has supposedly been searching for her all these years, her photograph has never been publicly released. Don’t you find such a search method laughable?"

"I raised the same question initially," Su He said, deliberately not pressing the conversation but still cooperating. "Their response was that they feared if malicious people recognized her from a photo, it could be detrimental to her."

Xiaobao was still young. Most of the Su family’s enterprises and opportunities belonged to Su Junxian and his four brothers. By the time Xiaobao reached adulthood, those five would already be established leaders in their respective fields. Therefore, he couldn’t afford to damage his relationship with them. He also needed to ensure Keqin and Keyue maintained the best possible relations with them.

"I can understand that explanation," Su Junhui said, his tone and expression utterly sincere. "A couple of days ago, I went looking for my sister’s childhood photos, only to find they were all gone. When I asked Grandma about it, she flew into a terrible rage. I lost my composure and had a huge argument with her. Now, I intend to find my sister myself."

"Second Uncle, do you still remember what my sister looked like? Or perhaps you have some photos of her here? I truly need them," Su Junhui pleaded.

"I’ll have to look carefully for those," Su He said. "Su An, go and fetch the family photo albums."

Su An immediately went upstairs to retrieve them.

A short while later, he returned with several thick photo albums.

"Sir, all the family photo albums are here," Su An announced.

"Give them to the Fourth Young Master," Su He directed.

After expressing his thanks, Su Junhui began to flip through the albums.

He paid particularly close attention to the group family photos.

His Second Uncle had quite a few photos of their immediate family, and there was no shortage of pictures of him and his brothers either.

After going through several albums, he only found two photos of his sister.

One was a photo of their mother holding his sister on her second birthday celebration. The other was a candid shot of his sister playing with him.

The second photo was larger but undated.

"Second Uncle, do you remember when this photo was taken?" Su Junhui asked.

Su He took the photo, his brow furrowed in thought.

After a long moment, he said, "It was around the time of your and Junying’s birthdays."

He paused, then added, "It must have been just before your birthdays, because she disappeared right after them."